Freud (1913) believed that dreams served as a way to solve unresolved conflicts from the past or present. Think of it like this: all dreams carry a certain theme at a particular time. For example, prior to coming to the States, I had dreams about leaving a place, and seeing my memories dissipate within the stream of time. I found myself sprinting away from the bad guys, hoping that I could save the good guys.

Everything I knew was being destroyed, flooded, burnt, or murdered, and left me feeling completely helpless. One morning I woke up with chills in my body as I attempted to put the pieces together in my mind. As I dragged myself out of bed towards our dinning area, my mother asked me whether I was doing well. She noted that she heard me scream in the middle of the night, and when she came to check up on me, I was fast asleep. I don’t recall this event, but I was aware that I was trying to leave whatever that was keeping me hostage.

After a couple of weeks, the dreams subsided as I became more aware of my situation. They were still powerful enough to shake me, but interestingly, they began to have an ending. Towards the end of each dream, I would call someone on the phone who would say, “you are not alone.” During this stage, my mind became better prepared for my next transitional stage in life, which I believe was a blessing in disguise.

Try to use your dreams as a tool for self-exploration and healing. Some individuals have a dream journal, while others jot down a few words when they wake up. I used to create elaborate sketches so that I could remember the different scenes that occurred in my dreams. At one point, I felt that sketching dreams became daunting and task-like, which caused me to put it off. Eventually, I would try to remember my dreams, but I would forget them by the end of the day. So, it’s really important to make this fun and experiential, otherwise it could definitely be tricky to commit to.